Overview:
The New York State Education Department (SED), Office of Vocational and Educational Services for Individuals with Disabilities (VESID) oversees a statewide preschool special education program with school districts, municipalities, approved providers and parents. Evaluations and specially planned individual or group instructional services or programs are provided to eligible children who have a disability that affects their learning. Funding for these special education programs and services is provided by municipalities and the state.

The Referral:

"Children are referred to the school district's CPSE if they are suspected of having a disability which impairs their learning and development. Referrals are made in writing by parents, professionals, caregivers, program providers or other individuals who are concerned about a child's development. Specific cultural and linguistic information must be considered when assessing the need to refer a child to the CPSE for an individual evaluation. Children transitioning from the Department of Health's Early Intervention Program that serves infants and toddlers, birth through age two may be referred to the CPSE by the early intervention service provider, upon parental consent.

Referral information provides evaluators with information about the presenting problem, concerns of the parents and teachers, referral source, and relevant background information such as birth date, medical conditions, previous evaluations, previous educational programs and activities, ethnic/cultural factors, and first and second language of the child. Referral information is part of the child's education records and must be maintained according to privacy/confidentiality rights." (Guide for Determining Eligibility and Special Education Programs and/or Services for Preschool Students with Disabilities, 2003, January, ¶The Individual Evaluation, ¶The Referral Process)

***To refer a child between the ages of birth - three years of age, please contact the Erie County Department of Early Intervention Program for further information.

"The evaluation of the preschool child requires information gathering and for individually administered assessments and behavioral observations to be conducted to determine the physical, mental, behavioral and emotional factors that contribute to the suspected disability. Information provided by the parent is critical to understanding the child's strengths, needs, interests and life experiences. A variety of assessment tools and procedures should be used to gather relevant functional and developmental information related to the preschool child's participation in appropriate activities. Appropriate activities may encourage children to learn skills that lead to reaching those milestones that typically developing children of the same age perform or achieve." See reference.

Components of the Individual Evaluation:
"The evaluation of the preschool child requires information gathering and a series of individually administered assessments and behavioral observations. The individual evaluation must include a physical examination, a social history, a psychological, an observation of the child in his or her natural setting and other appropriate assessments and evaluations.

These required evaluations provide information about the child's development according to functional areas such as motor, language, mental, social-emotional and behavioral skills. For example, the physical examination may include a health history and information about motor development. Other evaluations and assessments in the functional areas must be conducted as needed to further ascertain the physical, mental, behavioral and emotional factors that contribute to the suspected disability.

Components of the Individual Evaluation

Social History, including Health History

Physical Examination

Psychological Evaluation

Observation

Other Appropriate Assessments/Evaluations

The CPSE chairperson, evaluators and families have many opportunities to communicate and collaborate during the evaluation process." See reference.

Reference: Guide for Determining Eligibility and Special Education Programs and/or Services for Preschool Students with Disabilities. (2003, January). New York State Education Department. Retrieved on July 25, 2011 from www.p12.nysed.gov

Who comprises the CPSE team?

Parent/guardian,

1 General education teacher,

1 Special education teacher,

A representative of the school district,

An individual who can interpret the instructional implications of evaluation results,

A parent member and/or other persons having knowledge or special expertise about the student,

For a child in transition from Early Intervention (EI) to CPSE (at request of the parent), the appropriate individual designated by the EI agency,